It's been a while since I posted! Winter is one of the times that I like to retreat into myself, figure out my Word of the Year, set some intentions, all that lovely New Years stuff. I thought about setting a 2017 intention to blog more consistently, but I realized that would take the joy out of it for me. I like to write while the heat is in me, as Thoreau once said. Any attempt at having a regular blog series, or even a weekly writing habit, has failed for me, but I'm okay with that. I'm slowly learning to do things with less rigidity, more spontaneity, more listening to my intuition.

And this morning I really feel like sharing some obsessions with you! I have lots of new podcasts that I can't get enough of. If only there could be more time in the day to consume all this information... Plus some recipes, links, and books I'm into as well.

Cheers, and happy January!

I've been pretty fascinated by the concept of rewilding for the last year or so. I've taken small steps to bring the philosophy into my life, although nothing earth-shattering just yet. But it's fun to learn about it, and imagine the wild and naturey life that I'll live sometime in the future... The Rewild Yourself podcast has lengthy but fascinating interviews with people interested in rewilding their lives, and the She Explores podcast is all about women who inspired by time spent outdoors.

How to Build a Culture of Good Health: A fascinating article on the link between our emotional expression and physical health, particularly the links between childhood experiences and the immune system.

Eliminating decision fatigue is a major reason behind why I am so routine-based. If I don't have to think about my morning routine, it'll mean a calmer, more relaxing start to the day, and more room in my brain for the fast-paced decision-making demands of teaching kindergarten.

I've been obsessed with the idea of "invitations to create" in the classroom. I've done a fewofthem, and they've been really successful. I love that they don't need much of an introduction, and really engage my kids to use creativity and imagination while they explore.

I've been making lists called "Current Obsessions" since I was in middle school. These were primarily in the form of mix tapes and CDs, which, if you know me, is not at all surprising. (I am really into lists and also really into mix CDs.) So I decided to carry over my tradition of putting together a list of the songs I'm currently obsessed with, and tweak it a bit for the blog - putting together a list of all the things that I'm currently obsessed with. It'll be kind of like my Inspiration for the Weekend posts, but not limited to internet links. I'm hoping to find more time to write about the things I'm passionate about, instead of just providing links to other people's writing. So here goes!

I should note that this idea came in part from one of my current obsessions - Nicole Antoinette's podcast Real Talk Radio. She does long-form interviews of some really amazing people involved in health, wellness and activism. And the first question she usually asks her guests is "What are you currently obsessed with?" It's an awesome get-to-know-you question. I want to ask all my new coworkers that question.

And yes! I have new coworkers! I made an epic life decision this summer to switch school districts, so now I'll be teaching at a school in my neighborhood (as opposed to a suburb that was about 30 minutes away). I'm going to miss my coworkers and families so much, but it seems like the right decision and I'm really excited to be starting at the new school. And it'll save me an hour of driving every day! I can ride my bike to work! #lifechanging

Other obsessions include, obviously, how best to set up my classroom for the beginning of the school year. I have way fewer students (only 16! Last year I started with 24!) but also a smaller classroom, so I've had to be creative in how I set it up. I'm also trying to resist the idea of making my room perfect. I always dwell on the smallest of details, and end up spending two hours on, say, making my word wall letters perfectly spaced apart, when I could be using that time to, I don't know...look at the curriculum? Or go home and relax? Thus, I'm trying to let go of the need for perfection. Which is hard, seeing as I am a classic Type A perfectionist... Anyways, in that spirit, I found this link to be super helpful: How Finland Starts the School Year. Seriously, if you are a teacher, read this post. It turns out you don't NEED to spend 60 hours setting up your classroom, and in fact, maybe you shouldn't?! (gasp)

I'm also really really trying to be more mindful about how I spend my money. Seriously, where does it all go? I don't buy a lot of stuff, or so I tell myself. But somehow, at the end of each month, I end up spending way more than my paycheck probably allows for. Which is why I have been obsessively reading minimalist and don't-be-stupid-about-money blogs, like this one and this one and this one. I also especially loved this from Becoming Minimalist: One Simple Question to Ask Before Any Purchase. Now I need to just start following his advice...

And last but not least, I am currently obsessed with what most others on the internet have been obsessed with for many years now... Instagram. I finally, finally let go of my resistance to having another social media platform to keep up with, and jumped on the Instagram bandwagon. So far, so good. I have a reasonable amount of willpower about not checking it too often, which makes me feel less guilt about enjoying all the inspirational pictures and posts from yoga/outdoorsy/runner people that I follow. Anyway, if you want to follow the blog's new Instagram, I'm planning to post pictures of my morning runs and a few other things from time to time!

I apologize I haven't been posting lately. School will be over in one week (actually four days!) and I promise to be more active on here. One of my goals for the summer is to connect with writing and blogging more, as it's a creative outlet that brings me a lot of happiness. But only when I make time for it! Meanwhile, here are a few links to inspire over the next week:

I'm fascinated by simple, effective ways to do inquiry-based teaching. I liked this article, on why it's not always important to name everything we find in the natural world.

Super cool! The first school district to embrace climate literacy. Maybe I should go teach in Portland.

I don't know much about John Muir, but I'd like to know more, and I always see his quote "The mountains are calling" all over my Pinterest boards. Adventure Journal delves into what the quote actually means.

Hooray for the new food labels! They now have to show explicitly how much added sugar is in packaged foods. Serving sizes will also be changed to more accurately reflect the amount people eat.

Ah spring. My favorite season. Yes, I know that fall has changing leaves and that crisp autumn smell. But spring is filled with blooming flowers, and sprouting gardens, and hope. Here are some hopeful links to share with you this morning...

A beautiful story on why we should be able to walk through our country, and how absurd it is that we can't.

Rewild your life: a 30-day challenge. I signed up to do this challenge to spend 30 minutes in nature each day, but realized that it's near impossible during the school year. Fortunately, next month is the end of the school year! So I'll start it up then.

One of my all-time favorite bands is Cloud Cult. Their songs, shows, and albums are filled with so much beauty and emotion. Their lead singer, Craig Minowa, did an interview on the show On Being. I love everything he talks about, and also his midwestern accent.

I love leisurely Saturday mornings. They usually result in me drinking too much coffee (so warm and tasty!) and attempting to read the whole internet. So here is some weekend inspiration to share:
Have I mentioned my obsession with the Running on Om podcast? I can't get enough of it. Try this episode on feminine fierce, or this one on falling in love with your running, or this one on the intersection of running, nutrition and intuition.

I'm trying to get better at journaling every day. I've figured out a good way to meditate in the morning (just two minutes, right before breakfast), but haven't been able to fit journaling in my daily routine. This gives some good inspiration to find the time:

When you become a better listener to yourself, you become a better listener to others.

This soft quiet practice initiates the nurturing of your inner teacher, who happens to be pretty benevolent, empathetic and compassionate. You’ll start to be more lenient on yourself and that will trickle down to others because you’ll realize that we’re all doing the best we can with the tools we have.

I woke up this morning full of excitement for my upcoming nine days of freedom (aka spring break!). And for some reason, even though it's only just turned to spring, I couldn't get summer plans out of my head. There's so much I could possibly do this summer. There's a master naturalist course I want to take, plus a yoga teacher training I got accepted to (!), as well as my summer grad school classes, some science-related professional development stuff through my school, and my summer job at the nature center. Plus J and I are hoping to take a trip to California to see the redwoods and Big Sur (!!).

So much to choose from, which is an awesome problem to have. But it seems as always that I'm taking on too much and won't be able to do it all without being a crazy busy crazy person. And summer is definitely NOT the time for being a crazy busy crazy person. It's supposed to be my season of relaxation.

So I'll have to do some thinking and schedule-balancing, and probably let a few of those things go for now. I need to get better at remembering my intention to simplify my life. To help me remember, I decided to put together a few links on intentional living for your viewing pleasure...

Why saying you want change is not enough. A conversation in this article, that his mentor has about truly wanting something, really rang true for me. I keep saying I want a simpler life, or enough money to travel, or more time to read, or to learn how to rock climb better. But I don't realign my priorities to make sure I do it.

A mentor of mine was interacting with a gentleman older than me when the man made this statement, “I want to buy a Corvette.”

My mentor responded to his desire quite frankly, “No you don’t.”

“What do you mean? Of course I do. I’d like to own a Corvette.”

My mentor responded with words I have never forgotten, “No, you don’t really want to buy a Corvette. You see, if you really wanted to buy a Corvette, you could buy a Corvette. You could sell your home and maybe also your business. Then, you would have enough money to buy a Corvette. You say you want to own a Corvette… but if you really wanted to buy a Corvette, you’d be changing your life to do exactly that.”

Amazing new podcast discovery! It's called Running on Om, and it's all about the mind/body/soul connection between running, yoga, mindfulness, and intention. How did I function without this podcast until now?

I was trying to avoid the major fad that is the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, because I'm freakishly organized already and don't need to be pushed any further in that direction. But then a good friend of mine convinced me to look at how the book recommends you get rid of possessions - by asking the question "Does this spark joy?" It seems silly, because items in your house don't really spark joy. But I looked at my closet with the lens of "does this piece of clothing make me feel joyful?" If the answer was no, I got rid of it. If the answer was "well I might wear this someday" or "I really like this color" or "I paid a lot for this dress," I still got rid of it. Lo and behold, I got rid of about one-fourth of my clothes in 15 minutes. It was awesome.

Well here we are at the end of 2015. It hardly seems like winter, let alone a few days before Christmas, due to the fact that it's pouring with rain virtually everywhere in the midwest. But I'm still doing my end-of-the-year stuff, including reflecting on the year that has passed, and recovering from an intense semester in the kindergarten classroom. Hoorah for winter break, and year-end thoughtfulness. Here are some links for to help you along in your New Years reflections:

Teach Breathe Learn. I just got this book, on teaching mindfulness in the classroom. I haven't read it yet, but it looks promising.

Maria Popova's bookshelf! She writes Brain Pickings, one of my all-time favorite things to read on the internet. And here are all of her book recommendations in one place. Guess we know where all my tax return money will go...

I love this blog written by an American teacher who moved to Finland. He had an article in the Atlantic a while back which is how I found out about it. But I like his most recent post a lot as well: Finland's teachers - with less stress and more time - collaborate naturally. My favorite line? "Collaboration is virtually impossible when teachers are overwhelmed." My second favorite line? "Teachers need many opportunities to work together, and a lighter teaching load to maximize the time they spend together." AMEN!

As a result of my unrealistic desire to turn everyone into a runner, I’ve decided to share some tips about what helps me keep running. While I’m no expert, I’ve been running for seven years now, which, at the age of 29, is 25% of my life. Thus, I’ve accumulated a few ideas for how to go from running-is-miserable-torture to running-is-freedom.

These tips are in no particular order of helpfulness, and may not work for everyone. But I hope they inspire you just a little bit!

Tip #3: Go trail running.

The words "trail" and "running" together sound really hard core, like going for a run will turn into navigating crevasses and avoiding rogue rattlesnakes.

In the midwest, however, trail running is often just another way of saying "run somewhere besides the sidewalk." I have two sidewalk routes in my neighborhood that are my regular routes. They're great during the week when I don't want to put any effort into deciding where to run. (Even the smallest of barriers to running, like having to decide where to go, often become insurmountable during the school year.)

But on the weekends, those routes become really, well, routine, and I start to dread running past the same old scenery. As you probably figured out, I do everything I can to look FORWARD to running, instead of dreading it. So now I use trail running to find new places to go.

I'm lucky to live in an area full of hiking and biking trails, so finding trails hasn't been difficult. I purchased one of those 60 Hikes Within Wherever You Live books, and use that as a sort of checklist to decide where to go. I usually find a trail that can take me 3 to 6 miles, and I make sure to bring a water bottle in the car for when I return.

Even if you don't live near an extensive network of trails, find a river or park in your city where you could go. Switching locations will hopefully keep you motivated to go for a run. Your body will appreciate the break from pounding on sidewalk. (A lush carpeted forest is so much better for the knees.) And prairie flowers are much prettier to look at than old apartment buildings.

It's been a while since I've posted! As usual the summer is flying by, filled with a trip to Montana to see a dear friend get married, work at the nature center, and lots of time spent reading. The gorgeous weather this summer has made me much less inclined to be on the computer - but I have gathered some inspirational links in the past few weeks that I'd love to share!

Rainbows and privilege. Hooray hooray! I love this post. "Covering your profile picture in a rainbow isn’t going to cut it – though don’t get me wrong, it’s a decent start. But for you, for me, for all of us – there is so much more that we should do."

Why you should quit your job and travel solo. While I have no desire to quit my job, my first solo trip (a brief, four-day trip to Vermont when I lived in New York) was kind of life-changing. It was the first thing I had done completely alone, and it made me feel powerful and adventurous and confident. I've taken several more solo trips since then, and I highly recommend it.

I'm kind of taking a break from making kombucha right now, so it was helpful to read this post, from the fermentation blog Phickle, on how a kombucha scoby can stay healthy for quite a while, even if you ignore it.

Last but not least, this article confirms what every kindergarten teacher knows: when you're a little kid, learning social skills is more important than learning academic skills. Too much urgency surrounds academics and testing in kindergarten, leaving no time for play - and through play, kids learn empathy, kindness, and how to take turns. In the long run, research shows that pro-social skills are more important than academic skills when it comes to leading a successful life.